Highlights

Julia Simkus graduated from Princeton University in May, 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Her thesis was titled: The Instagram Diet: Social Media’s Influence on Young Women’s Body Image.

Julia is currently attending NYU for a 2-year Master’s in Mental Health Counseling and Wellness to fulfill her long-term goal of obtaining a career in this field.

She is also an intern at Body Liberation Collective where she is working towards her required supervision and clinical hours.

In addition to writing and editing articles for Simply Psychology, Julia has worked as a research assistant for Professor Nicole Avena at Princeton University.

At Princeton, Julia co-authored an article titled “Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic and COVID-19-Related Restrictions,” published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in April 2021. The article examined the prevalence of addictive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She has also co-authored 2 other articles,

1. Sugar Addiction in Animal Models published in “The Handbook of Food & Addiction” (chapter 33) by Oxford University Press.
2. Food Addiction: Latest Insights on the Clinical Implications which was published in the Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions: From Biology to Public Health in October of 2022.

Julia has published over 70 articles for Simply Psychology. Her main areas of expertise are psychotherapy research and theories, eating disorders, addiction, and mental health.

Publications

• • Simkus, J., & Avena, N. M. (2024). Sugar addiction in animal models. In A. N. Gearhardt, K. D. Brownell, M. S. Gold, & M. N. Potenza (Eds.), Food and addiction: A comprehensive handbook (Chapter 33). Oxford University Press.
  • Simkus, J., Gold, MS, Blum, K., Avena, NM (2022). Food Addiction. In: Patel, VB, Preedy, VR (Eds.), Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92392-1_160
  • Avena, NM, Simkus, J., Lewandowski, A., Gold, MS, & Potenza, MN (2021). Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic and COVID-19-Related Restrictions. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12 , 653674. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.653674

 

Professional Experience

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Psychology Research Assistant for Professor Nicole Avena: Princeton University (June 2020 – January 2023)

• Helped Edit sections for Professor Avena’s book on sugar addiction.
• Co-authored a chapter titled, “Sugar Addiction in Animal Models” to be published in 2023 by Oxford University Press as part of a larger publication on addiction (listed as first author).
• Conducted research on the neurobiology of food addiction and co-authored an article titled, Food Addiction: Latest Insights on the Clinical Implications, published in the Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions: From Biology to Public Health in October 2022.
• Drafted, edited, and co-authored an article on the prevalence of addictive behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions During the COVID-19 Pandemic and COVID-19-Related Restrictions , which was published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in April 2021.

Researcher, Writer, and Editor: Simply Psychology (December 2021 – Present)

• Research, draft, edit, and produce articles related to theories of psychology, research methods, and mental health for an online publication utilized by students and educators worldwide.
• Published over 70 original articles on this site with a viewership of over 4 million/month.

Psychology Research Assistant for Professor Alexander Todorov: Social Perception Lab, Princeton University (June 2019 – August 2019)

• Created and analyzed studies on comparative decision-making.
• Developed content for ‘Decision-Making’ studies using Qualtrics and JavaScript.
• Uploaded and disseminated studies among online participants.

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Mental Health Counseling Intern: Body Liberation Collective (March 2024 – Present)

• Providing low fee meal support and therapy services to individuals struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating, chronic dieting, or body image dissatisfaction under the supervision of Courtney Daniels.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Recovery Coach: BALANCE Eating Disorder Treatment Center (March 2021 – September 2021; May 2022 – July 2022)

• Conducted pre-meal and post-meal processing and provided support during mealtime
• Maintained financial records for meal programming
• Coordinated meal planning with staff dieticians
• Scheduled intake appointments and conducted phone check-ins with prospective clients
• Maintained patient files
• Participated in bi-weekly client reviews with the clinical team

Residential Counselor: Co-Mans Inc. Langhorne, PA (August 2020 – November 2020)

• Worked at a supported housing facility for residents with mental illnesses, helping them transition into an independently functioning member of the community
• Maintained a caseload of 5-10 residents, ages 18-60 with chronic mental health diagnoses
• Wrote weekly progress notes and bi-monthly residential service plans for Bucks County’s Department of Behavioral Health
• Planned and facilitated weekly psycho-educational and therapy-based discussion groups and activities with other staff members and professionals to develop effective treatment plans
• Provided crisis intervention during psychiatric emergencies

Education

• MA Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness, New York University (2023 – 2025)
• BA (Hons) Psychology, Princeton University (2023). GPA: 3.8
• The Lawrenceville School (2017)

Publications